It is official now. For the first time since the outbreak of militancy in Kashmir in 1989, Al-Qaeda has set up its affiliate in Kashmir with former Hizbul Mujahideen Zakir Musa commander as its chief. The affiliate is called Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind.

The announcement was made by Global Islamic Media Front, a media wing of Al-Qaeda.

In a press release issued both in English and Urdu, titled Statement No 1, Al-Qaeda said that “the jihad in Kashmir has entered a stage of awakening”.

“The Muslim nation of Kashmir has committed to carry the flag of jihad to repel the aggression of tyrant Indian invaders and through jihad with the aid of Allah (swt) only, we will liberate our homeland Kashmir. For this goal, a new movement of jihad has been founded by the companions of martyr Burhan Wani (rh) under the leadership of Mujahid 'Zakir Musa' (May Allah Almighty protect him),” the statement reads.

Giving the statement an imprimatur of authenticity, it also carried the logo of the official media Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind titled Al-Hur, Al-Hur.

The affiliate said that it will shortly make “an important and detailed statement about Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind”.

Though a hardcore extremist turn in the ideological worldview of Kashmir’s militancy was a project in works for some time now, its culmination into an Al-Qaeda outfit has taken the people by surprise.

Earlier, in one of his video messages, Musa had said he had – “nothing to do with Al-Qaeda and the ISIS but he was also not against them”.

But he had made it clear that he won’t budge from his stand that the goal of the Kashmir movement was the creation of an Islamic state and that he would prefer to fight its secularist champions right now rather than after 'Azadi'.

For security experts in Kashmir, the establishment of the unit means little in terms of an operational threat, but it does pose “a larger ideological challenge”.

“Threat is not operational but ideological. It is an attempt to fit the Kashmir struggle into a pan-Islamist frame and widen its horizon to entire India,” said a police officer.

He drew attention to the name of the affiliate – “It is Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind and there is no mention of Kashmir in this,” said the officer referring to the religious meaning of Ghazwat-ul-Hind, which is a prediction, attributed to Prophet Mohammad, of an Islamic war against India leading to a triumph for Muslims.

“It is now more about India than Kashmir with latter as the base for a larger jihad. The attempt is also to reach out to alienated sections of Indian Muslims or draw them to Kashmir,” the officer explained.

In one of his videos, Musa had called Indian Muslims “cowards and shameless” for not rising up against the “oppressors” while citing the alleged rape of a Muslim woman on a train.

However, the opponents of the Al-Qaeda's and the ISIS' entry into Kashmir take heart from the fact that the outfits cannot count on a wider public backing nor would they find it easy to get funding and weapons to carry on their activities.

“Kashmir poses structural difficulties for an Al-Qaeda or ISIS like an outfit to operate and survive. No political or militant outfit in Kashmir can hope to exist in Kashmir without either leaning on Islamabad or New Delhi for support. The bottom line is there is no independent political or militant space in Kashmir and you cannot decide to strike on your own and get away with it,” said a political analyst who did not wish to be named.

“Now about Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind. Who will fund it? Who will supply weapons? You cannot take on both India and Pakistan in Kashmir and also the rival militant outfits and then hope to survive. Can you?” the analyst asked.

According to the police estimate, the number of militants with Musa is less than a dozen. This makes Al-Qaeda in Kashmir more 'symbolic' than an 'operational' presence. But of course, it does have an identifiable, vocal and a prominent militant as its head.

However, soon after the Al-Qaeda statement was made public, both the Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba rushed to denounce the move as an “Indian ploy” created to tarnish the image of “a just Kashmiri struggle”.

“Some of our friends are playing into the hands of our enemy and trying to create a divide between people and their leadership. Our movement is an indigenous movement,” Salahuddin said.

“The freedom movement of Jammu and Kashmir has no worldwide agenda, no links with organisations like Islamic State or Al-Qaeda. Such organisations have no role in Kashmir,” he added.

Salahuddin also pointed out that the “entire Kashmiri nation and the leadership” was “ideologically aligned” in their struggle against “forcible Indian occupation”.

“There is an attempt to misguide freedom-loving people in the name of Shariah and martyrdom and create confusion in their ranks. This is tantamount to aiding the objectives of our enemy. Be it Al-Qaeda, Daesh or any other outfit with a global agenda, there is no room for their existence in J&K nor a need for them,” he said.

The Hizb chief said that they had “credible information” that Indian agencies had aided the launch of Daesh-like outfits in Kashmir through its “paid agents” to create bloodshed in the state like it was being done in Iraq, Syria and Palestine.

Lashkar-e-Taiba also came out with a statement –

“India is trying to label the legitimate freedom struggle of Kashmir as terrorism by implying terror groups such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS into the Valley. Ajit Doval's doctrine is up to this conspiracy (sic),” a statement issued its chief Mahmood Shah read.

“We would like to inform the masses that the Mujahideen groups, with their mutual understanding and unity, are fighting against Indian forces. On the other hand, groups such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS are being brought up to label the legitimate freedom struggle as terrorism,” the statement added.

Shah said that Al-Qaeda and ISIS thrive on Takfeer (the practice of one Muslim declaring another Muslim as a non-believer).

“All they (Al Qaeda and ISIS) have done has just greatly affected the Muslims and brought upon them the injustice, brutality and oppression. This Fitna (rebellion) is way more dangerous than that of India's,” Shah added.

In Kashmir, the news has largely been met with a sense of resignation. Even on social media, people have generally restrained from airing their opinion.

A pervading sense of foreboding is reflected by this Facebook post:

“Miss you Burhan Bhai. Burhan Bhai was not only a commander he was a leader, a motivator, a preacher, a legend, a matured personality, a warrior and an undisputed personality. It was Burhan Bhai who gives freedom movement new heights. After his Shahadat unexpected things are happening in the freedom movement. Allah knows better what will happen in coming days to Kashmir and to the freedom movement. Ya Allah protect our sacrifices,” wrote one Abu Zarar.

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MISSION STATEMENT

It is our position that shariah law imposes second class status on women and is incompatible with the standards of liberal Western societies and the basic principles of human rights that include equality under the law and the protection of individual freedoms. The shariah code mandates the complete authority of men over women, including the control of their movement, education, marital options, clothing, bodies, place of residence and all other aspects of their existence. Further, it calls for the beating, punishment, and murder of women who don’t comply with shariah requirements.
In our efforts to stem the encroachment of shariah in the West, we are focusing on the following objectives:

Education of the American public about the inherent human rights violations and the attempt to undermine or replace U.S. law and American statutes with Islamic shariah

Alerting policy makers and legislators to potential human rights and equal rights violations and working toward the development of possible remedies and legal actions

Building coalitions with like-minded organizations to develop policy initiatives and interventions for victims of shariah.

IMPORTANT TERMS

Shariah: an all-encompassing and in-transmutable system of Islamic jurisprudence, found in the Koran and the Sunnah, that covers all aspect of life, including daily routines, hygiene, familial roles and responsibilities, social order and conduct, directives on relationships with Muslims and non-Muslims, religious obligations, financial dealings and many other facets of living.

Ird: the sexual purity of a woman that confers honor to her husband, family and community. Ird is based on the traditional standards of behavior set forth in the shariah code and includes subservience to male relatives, modest dress which could include veiling and the covering of the body, and restricted movement outside of the home. The loss of a woman’s ird confers shame upon her family and can result in ostracism by the community, economic damage, political consequences and the loss of self esteem.

Zina: the Koranic word for sexual relations outside of marriage. Under shariah law, Zina is punished by lashings, imprisonment or stoning to death.

FGM: female genital mutilation refers to the partial or complete removal of the female genitalia for religious and cultural reasons. It is practiced to preserve a female’s chastity and dampen her sexual desire. FGM is permitted in the Koran but required by the Shafi’i, one of the four schools of shariah law within Sunni Islam.

Honor Killing: a murder, usually of a female, committed to restore the social and political standing of a family or community when it is believed that the victim has violated traditional behavioral expectations. Such violations can include improper covering of the body, appearing in public without a male relative chaperone, talking to an unrelated male, or exhibiting independence in thought and action. An honor killing can also be based on hearsay or gossip that is perceived as damaging to a woman’s relatives.

Forced Marriage: a marriage that is conducted without the consent of one or both parties in which duress is a factor. Such duress can include violence or physical intimidation, psychological abuse, blackmailing, kidnapping, or threats of imprisonment or institutional confinement.

SLAVERY IN ISLAM

Islam permits the taking of slaves as “booty” or as a reward for waging jihad. Slavery became a Muslim tradition at the time that Mohammed moved to Medina and amassed sufficient power for the enslavement of non-Muslims.
Slavery is an accepted part of Islamic society and is never viewed in a negative way in the Koran, Sira or Hadith. In fact, it is a God-given right for Muslims to have slaves.
[6:7] Allah has given more of His gifts of material things to some rather than others. In the same manner, those who have more do not give an equal share to their slaves so that they would share equally. Would they then deny the favors of Allah.

Although Islam has sustained slavery for 1400 years, a Muslim may never be enslaved. Only non-believers or kafirs may be enslaved and may be eligible for freedom upon conversion to Islam at the discretion of the slave owner. Slavery is viewed as a moral good in Islam as it transforms a kafir into a believer.

Slaves have no means for legal action in Islam and their rights are based solely on the good will of their master. If a slave flees his master, this is view as a sin against Allah.

Slaves have few civil or legal rights.

The following are rules pertaining to slavery from the Shariah:

1) Muslim men may have sex with female slaves at any time and it is not possible to “rape” a slave.

2) Slaves have the same status as animals and it is permissible to whip them.

3) No Muslim can be put to death for murdering a slave.

4) A slave’s testimony is inadmissible in court.

5) Slaves can be forced to marry whomever their master chooses and may not choose their marriage mate.

6) Christians and Jews who do not pay the jizya or protection tax can be enslaved.

In his book, Christian Slaves, Muslim Masters, historian Robert Davis estimates that North African Muslims abducted and enslaved more than 1 million white Christian Europeans from the coastal towns from Sicily to Cornwall between 1530 and 1780. Muslim slavers also seized people from Britain, Ireland, Iceland and even American seaman on ships in the Atlantic.

In a recent case of Muslim slavery in the United States, Sarah Khonaizan and her husband Homaidan Al-Turki were arrested for forced labor, sexual abuse and harboring an alien for enslaving an Indonesian housekeeper in their home in Colorado.
The couple reportedly brought the housekeeper to Colorado from Saudi Arabia to care for their five children and to cook and clean for the family. The Indonesian woman slept on the basement floor, was paid less than $2 per day and was the victim of rape.
Al-Turki and his defense attorney complained that they were being persecuted for their beliefs and stated, "The state has criminalized these basic Muslim behaviors. Attacking traditional Muslim behaviors was the focal point of the prosecution."
Al-Turki received letters of support from the local Muslim community and from his academic colleagues at the University of Colorado.
This case continues to arouse strong feelings in Saudi Arabia where there is great sympathy and support for Al-Turki.
On March 26, 2008, a high level Saudi official brought up the case in a meeting with Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff. He urged Americans to review the case and mentioned the strong support for Al-Turki in Saudi Arabia.

RELIGION OF PEACE

IMPORTANT NOTE

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ABOUT US

The mission of Women Against Shariah is to prevent and outlaw the imposition of shariah law in the United States for both Muslim and American women as either a parallel legal system or a replacement for existing laws. Additionally, we hope to empower women worldwide to resist shariah.